Have you seen bats at your house or in your neighborhood? Bats are commonly misunderstood but extremely important animals in Maryland. Unfortunately, bats in Maryland and in much of the United States are in decline. We would love to know more about Maryland's local bat roosts to assist with their conservation!

To find bat roosts, you need to figure out where bats hang out during the day and from? where they emerge at dusk and dawn. If it’s an artificial bat house or bat condo, then that’s easy. However, other structures like buildings may have multiple areas for bats to exit. Look for signs like brown staining and guano (bat poop) on walls or openings to figure out where the bats are coming in and out.

Once you have located the potential roost, time to start your survey! Get there early! Be ready for counting at least 30 minutes before sunset. Bats usually come out before it’s completely dark.

To count bats, you should position yourself near the roost with the night sky as a background whenever possible. DO NOT shine lights at the roost to count bats. This may prevent bats from exiting. It’s also a good idea to be quiet during bat emergence.